Come Out Fighting
by Shasta627
Summary: When their wagon wheel breaks in the middle of their journey, the royal family of Avalor is stranded in the wilderness for the night and must face a gang of bandits who intend to rob them blind. Luckily for them, Avalor's Captain of the Guard is there to help protect them. [One-shot. Subtle/One-sided Gabe x Isabel].


**_A/N: Written for Day 2 of EoA Appreciation Week 2k19! The prompt was Melee (when I think of melee my mind automatically goes to the Super Smash Bros Melee game lol) but it also fit's Gabe perfectly, so here's a little fic about broken wheels, impromptu camp fires, bandits, and Gabe beating people up xD _**

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Gabe squinted at the sky above, reaching up to wipe the thin sheen of sweat away from his forehead. From the sun's position in the sky, he knew it wouldn't be long before it finally sank below the mountains and offered relief from it's scorching rays. It was the middle of summer in Avalor, meaning not only was it hot but extremely humid too, and he was stuck in the middle of the wilderness with no one around for miles.

That is, except for the people who were also stranded with him.

Francisco and Luisa stood beside him as they fanned themselves with their hands, watching their youngest granddaughter work on the carriage wheel that had split right in half while they were traveling across the rocky terrain.

"Any progress, Isa?" Gabe asked, tugging at the collar of his uniform. Why did the garment have to be so heavy and suffocating?

The fifteen year old princess let out a frustrated growl. "No," she said shortly, though Gabe knew her annoyance was directed at the wheel and not at him. "The wood completely splintered when we hit that rock and the hubcap is bent. And without any of my tools, I don't think I can build something of the same size and durability to replace it, so long story short," she stood up and threw a glare at the offending wheel, "we're not going anywhere."

"Don't worry Isa, we'll just wait for Elena to return," Luisa assured her granddaughter. Everyone in the group turned to look at the steep, treacherous road ahead of them, hoping to see Elena's form returning with help, but all they saw were the heat waves shimmering above the path in the distance.

When the wagon wheel fiasco had first taken place, it had been decided after much debate that Elena would go on her own to find help, since Isabel wanted to stay and try to fix the wheel, and it was too far for Luisa and Francisco to walk. Gabe stayed at Elena's insistence that she would be fine and that her family needed his help more.

"Any minute now, I'm sure," Francisco added optimistically. Isabel just rubbed her forehead wearily and sighed.

Gabe wasn't sure how long they waited, but eventually the sun set and the road began to grow darker and darker as everyone grew more and more worried. After a while of standing together in the dark, Francisco and Luisa went back inside the carriage to sit down and rest while Isabel and Gabe sat on the ground outside, their eyes glued onto the road ahead of them.

"At least we aren't melting anymore," Gabe joked to Isabel, trying to relieve the younger girl's tension.

Isabel appeared to have not heard him. "What if she got lost?" she fretted instead. "Or kidnapped? Or some wild animal attacked her?"

Gabe rested a reassuring hand on Isabel's shoulder. "If there's anything I'm certain of, it's that Elena can handle herself. We probably just misjudged the distance from here until the nearest town, and it's taking her longer to get there and back."

"I guess," Isabel consented glumly. "If only we hadn't decided to take this route, and just stuck to the main path…"

"What's done is done," Gabe reminded gently. "And besides, at least we got stranded on the way _back _from the ambassador meeting, instead of on the way there. You guys would've completely missed it."

"I guess," Isabel said again. She leaned forward to squint at the road. "It's getting kinda hard to see in the dark. Should we try to build a fire, just to have some light?"

Gabe considered the option. It was still way to muggy and warm for a fire, but they _did_ need to see, plus it would help them be spotted in case anyone came up the path.

"Sure. You find some dry brush and sticks and I'll see if I can find some flint," Gabe instructed. They two of them quickly went about their tasks and within a few minutes had a slow, steady fire burning in front of the carriage.

"All we need now are some marshmallows," Isabel said jokingly, and Gabe was pleased to see her slowly reverting back to her normal, playful self.

"Maybe we can ask the creatures of the jungle if they have some," he teased back, and then laughed at the exasperated glare Isabel sent him.

"_Not _funny, Gabe! What if there really are things out there, looking for a midnight snack?"

"Don't worry, princess, I'll protect you," promised Gabe as he gave her a comforting smile.

Isabel stared at him for a second before she quickly turned her head. Her cheeks turned a faint pink color, but Gabe simply attributed it to the heat coming from the fire in front of them.

"Well...thank you," she finally said. "I guess I'll have to—"

Her words were cut off by the sound of footsteps approaching them. Isabel gasped and Gabe leapt to his feet, his sword at the ready.

"Hello?" he called loudly. "Elena?" When he received no answer he said, "Show yourself!"

The footsteps quieted, and then they seemed to multiply. Isabel jumped to her feet as well and hurried to Gabe's side. They couldn't see anything outside the small radius of land their fire was illuminating.

"Gabe? Isa? What's going on out there?" Luisa's voice rang from inside the carriage.

"Stay inside!" Gabe ordered, his sword now brandished toward the darkness.

Then finally, a man entered the light. He was short with a long, scraggly beard, but had surprisingly fine clothes and ornate jewelry adorning his neck. "We mean no harm," he said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "We saw a light and had to come investigate."

"We?" Gabe asked.

"My friends and I," the man answered, gesturing back at the darkness. Gabe and Isabel could barely make out the figures behind him. "We are travelers, just passing through. And who are you?" He eyed them suspiciously.

"Gabriel Nuñez," Gabe replied, relaxing slightly. "Our carriage wheel broke and we're stuck here. A member of our party went to find help but hasn't returned. Do you think you can help us?"

The man drew a bit closer, still watching them carefully. Isabel shivered beside Gabe despite the warm night air.

"You have a very nice carriage," he observed slowly, "and you say you're completely helpless?"

"Not entirely." Though it was no longer pointed at the man, Gabe tightened his grip on his sword. "We're pretty capable people. Now, can you help us?"

The man regarded him with a grin. "We'd love to—_truly_—but you see, when an opportunity such as this one presents itself so _readily _to us, we simply have to take advantage of it. Don't you agree?" From behind him three other men finally drew forward in the light, each just as strangely dressed as him. One of them even carried a large wooden club.

Gabe realized all too late that what these men were. No wonder they had such fine garments for traveling out in the middle of the wilderness—they were bandits, they had _stolen _them from other travelers, and he, Isabel, and her grandparent's were their next targets.

"Isa, get in the carriage and barricade the door. Whatever happens do _not _get out," Gabe muttered out of the corner of his mouth as tried to push Isabel farther behind him and away from the men as they slowly began to approach.

"But Gabe, what about you?" Isabel hissed back, panic clear in her round brown eyes. "I can try to help, or—"

"Isa, please, I promised I'd protect you and that's what I'm going to do," Gabe insisted, turning his gaze from the oncoming bandits to meet her eyes. "I need you to—"

Isabel screamed, just as something struck the side of Gabe's face, knocking him backwards against the carriage. His sword slipped out of his hand and got knocked to the side as his head exploded in pain. It felt like it had been cracked like an egg against a rock. Gabe was just barely able to comprehend that the bandit with the club must've hit him, and it took a few more seconds after that for him to realize how _stupid _he was to let the goons sneak up on him. But he blinked the stars out of his eyes just in time to see the man who had just slugged him approaching Isabel, who was cornered between him and the carriage with nowhere to go.

"NO!" Gabe cried, launching himself forward to tackle the man, his sword lying forgotten in the dirt.

In one swift motion he brought the man down and pinned him to the ground with his foot. That is, until one of the other men knocked Gabe off, and he found himself dodging and blocking as many attacks as he could once all four off the looters ganged up on him. Despite the rat-tag group they appeared to be, Gabe quickly learned they were much more agile and skilled in the art of fighting than he'd given them credit for.

An elbow was jabbed into his ribs, a knee knocked against his forehead, a boot was slammed into his back, but Gabe kept fighting. Thankfully the man with the club had stopped swinging it around, probably out of fear of hitting one of his comrades instead.

Gabe noticed that Isabel was nowhere to be seen, and since all four of the bandits's attention was focused on him, he allowed himself a quick moment of relief that she had evidently gotten to safety.

"Just give up," the leader of the bandits growled, his lip busted and gushing blood thanks to Gabe's well aimed punch. "You can't stop all four of us."

"I can," Gabe assured fiercely. "And I _will_. I'll do whatever it takes." He dropped to the floor and kicked the man's feet out from underneath him, sending him falling backwards with a painful _thud_. Then he turned to the next goon and deflected a punch, grabbing the man's arm and using the momentum to toss him over his shoulder. They kept coming at him, sometimes all at once, sometimes one at a time, but their movements were becoming sloppy, and they were growing tired. They didn't have the training or the stamina Gabe did, even though he was beaten and bruised even more than them.

It wasn't easy, but after a few more minutes of intense struggle, Gabe finally managed to knock three of them unconscious.

_But where is the fourth man? The one with the club? _Gabe thought frantically.

He spun around and received his answer.

The man was standing right before him, Gabe's sword now pointed between his eyes.

"You're more trouble than you're worth," the large man snarled. "It'll be a pleasure to get rid of you."

Gabe's mind was whirring. How could he catch the man off guard and protect himself without being speared in the head?

But then there was a loud clang, and the man's eyes went cross eyed before he dropped the sword and fell forward at Gabe's feet. Gabe stared open mouthed at him, not believing what he'd just seen, but then there where the man had just been standing was none other than Isabel.

"Isa…? What are you doing? I thought you were in the carriage!" Gabe sputtered, quickly retrieving his sword before someone else grabbed it.

"I was," Isabel explained, and Gabe noticed she was clinging to a small satchel in her hands. "But then I saw that man grab your sword and I couldn't just watch helplessly from the window, so I grabbed _this,_" she set the satchel on the ground and pulled out the bent hubcap she'd taken off the wheel earlier that afternoon, "put it in this bag, and then used it to knock him out."

Gabe blinked at her, impressed. "That was...quick thinking. Thank you. You probably saved my life."

"_Me?_" asked Isabel incredulously. "_You_ saved all of us! Look what you did!" She gestured at the unconscious bandits littered across the road.

Gabe grinned, and then winced as it aggravated the bruise on his cheek. "Well, I'm the Captain of the Guard. It's my j—"

He didn't get to finish on the account of Isabel barreling toward him and hugging him fiercely. "You could've died trying to save us. Thank you." She then stepped away just as quickly, looking flustered.

Gabe smiled at her softly. "Anytime, princess."

The carriage door banged open again and Francisco and Luisa raced out. "Is everyone okay?" Luisa asked hurriedly.

Francsico looked at the four bandits lying in the road with confusion. "Isabel, you told me there was only one!" he said accusingly.

Isabel tugged on her hair. "I...I was afraid you'd try to join the fight if I told you there was more. I didn't want you to get hurt," she admitted sheepishly.

"But I could've helped fight!" Francisco protested almost in disappointment, but Gabe was grateful he had stayed inside. Though the older man had once been an excellent swordsman, his age had eventually caught up to him in the sparring aspect.

"Ay ay ay, Gabe!" Luisa cried once she noticed the full extent of his injuries. "Let's see if we have any first aid supplies in the carriage."

"Thank you, but I'll be fine. Plus, we need to tie up these men before they regain consciousness first," Gabe said, though after all the bandits had been securely apprehended, Lusia wouldn't rest until she'd at least tended to some of Gabe's wounds.

Once everything had calmed down again, Gabe and Isabel one again sat in front of the carriage, now keeping their eyes on both the bandit's and the road ahead.

"What do you think Elena will say, once she gets back?" Isabel asked through a yawn. Despite all the excitement she'd endured that day, she couldn't quite fight her impending drowsiness.

"She'll probably be disappointed that she missed all the fun," Gabe replied knowingly.

And sure enough, within the next hour Elena finally returned with a new carriage and lots of people willing to help, and when she saw the bandits and heard what all they'd been through, she was aghast.

"I can't believe I missed it all!" she groaned.

Gabe and Isabel just looked at each other and laughed.


End file.
